Just want to point out that it's not all information that's presented in a
tree hierarchy, but information frames - and there's a difference; the
mental mapping is not of content, but of pages. Second, even within a
hierarchical structure (for example I use linux), there are symbolic links
across the directory structure, which are clearly marked - one has what
Koestler called a holarchy as a result.
Think of the original Roget's Thesauraus - the tree image goes back way
before computers - even the messiness of 'the tree of life' today still
serves as a beginning (not determinative) metaphor.
Alan
http://www.anu.edu.au/english/internet_txt - partial mirror at
http://lists.village.virginia.edu/~spoons/internet_txt.html
co-moderator Cyberculture, Cybermind, Fiction of Philosophy (fop-l)